The Frame: 2018 Gymnastics Gala draws 1,440 athletes from five states

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40 gymnastics teams from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee perform at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from Southeastern Gymnastics based in Weddington, stretch out before competition begins at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An American Doll wearing a gymnastics leotard at a vendor's table selling American Doll accessories at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Attendees of the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville browse leotards at a vendor's booth Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from one of 40 teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville stretch out before competition begins Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from one of 40 teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville stretch out before competition begins Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from one of the 40 teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, stretch before competitions begins Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from gymnastics teams warm up before competition begins at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Athletes from gymnastics teams line up before being introduced at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Gymnasts from teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville wait before being announced and escorted onto the floor Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Payton McNally, 10, of Premier Athletics based in Knoxville, Tennessee, grabs the arm of teammate Lily Hughes, 9, asking her, "are you scared?" before their team is announced and escorted onto the floor before competition begins at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

One of 40 teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, is escorted onto the floor before competition begins Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Notes are attached to roses purchased for athletes at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Jackson Haskell delivers a rose to an athlete from one of 40 teams competing at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Attendees of the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, watch competition Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An athlete from Rose's Gymnastics based in Greenville, North Carolina, performs a routine at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An athlete from Rose's Gymnastics based in Greenville, North Carolina, performs a routine at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An athlete from Southeastern Gymnastics, based in Weddington, performs a routine on the beam at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An athlete from Southeastern Gymnastics, based in Weddington, performs a routine on the beam at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

An athlete from Rose's Gymnastics, based in Greenville, North Carolina, performs on the vault at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com

Payton McNally, 10, of Premier Athletics based in Knoxville, Tennessee, grabs the arm of teammate Lily Hughes, 9, asking her, "are you scared?" before their team is announced and escorted onto the floor before competition begins at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com)Buy Photo

“Are you scared?” asked Payton McNally, 10, grabbing the arm of fellow gymnast and teammate Lily Hughes, 9, her eyes wide with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

The two are part of Premier Athletics, a gymnastics club from Knoxville, Tennessee. They were moments away from being announced and escorted onto the floor at the 2018 Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville.

One by one, each team was announced and they were escorted by a tuxedo-clad teenage boy down a bright pink carpet into the center of the arena. Shield your eyes from the gymnastics floor filled with equipment, and you could have been at a formal soiree.

The Gymnastics Gala was founded around 2012 by Jessica Harris, Diane Thompson and Karen Pleasants, the directors of the invitational, all of whom have been involved in gymnastics most of their lives. Forty teams and 1,440 athletes from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee traveled to Asheville Jan. 5-7 for the first competition of their season.

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An athlete from Southeastern Gymnastics, based in Weddington, performs a routine on the beam at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com)

The inspiration for the creation of this invitational was a shared affection for Asheville and devotion to the sport of gymnastics.

“We all loved Asheville and we always wondered why there was not a large invitational here because we loved coming here," Harris said. "We wondered why no one else was doing something big here, so I guess the inspiration was bringing something to a town that we loved and to a destination location for families to enjoy.”

Harris, Thompson and Pleasants, who all judge gymnastics, reached out to many of the people around the region with whom they have formed relationships within the sport to bring the invitational from the abstract to fruition.

“Our first year it was so small," Harris said. "We chose to do it New Year's Eve. It ended up being a hard date for most clubs to attend, and we had probably around 100 kids. So to grow to 1,400 kids in less than 10 years is really awesome.”

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An athlete from Rose's Gymnastics based in Greenville, North Carolina, performs a routine at the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville, Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com)

Harris went on to explain that for some young athletes who travel from Florida, attending the Gymnastics Gala once every couple of years is their only opportunity to experience snow. Subsequently, when conditions permit, many of them use their down time to revel in wintertime activities like sledding around Asheville.

Whether gliding across the floor, swinging from the bars or launching off the vault, these burgeoning gymnasts were perfectly poised, exuding a surprising level of confidence to the cheers and applause of parents and teammates. Stepping off the mats, they returned to being young girls who unabashedly laugh and giggle when they are happy and cry when they are hurt.

In Harris’ view, gymnastics is about far more than learning about and practicing the sport itself. It is about preparing the girls for the undulating road of life ahead of them.

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Athletes from one of 40 teams competing in the Gymnastics Gala invitational at the U.S Cellular Center in Asheville stretch out before competition begins Saturday, January 6, 2017. Teams came from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.(Photo: Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizen-times.com)

“They learn teamwork, they learn failures, the ebbs and flows of life, how to overcome fear, how to persevere when you get injured and how to work through injuries and how to push through anything and I think it makes you a different person as an adult because you gain all these life skills at such a young age that carries through forever.”

After a full year’s worth of work planning for each event, which involves at least 40 people to make possible, the success of the Gymnastics Gala is measured in the palpable enjoyment that Harris bears witness to each year.

“I think just seeing the positive impact that you make in kids and families lives by just putting on an event," she said, "providing a place for them to play the sport that they love and getting to watch the memories that they get to make from it and the positive impact from it. I think that's probably my favorite part.”